Christmas Lights

[Joe G]

I really enjoy decorating both inside and outside for Christmas.

The last 2 years I really neglected the outside. I really didn't have the time because of big projects that were due for my MBA classes.

Not so this year! I plan on getting back to my old self.


Here's an example of what an engineer friend and I put together the first year.

YouTube - Christmas Lights - TSO - Christmas Eve in Sarajevo - 2007

Then we did it better the next year.


Absolutely Amazing Christmas Lights Show*Video



Anyone else go all out decorating??


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[Alloy Dave]

No, I've gotten lazy...we do put up a nice tree, Terry1234 does most of the work. My fav part is that we use many "one of a kind" ornaments that remind us of things in our lives. I have a '69 Camaro ornament, a soccer ornament, a few wood ornaments, and a Sheltie ornament. Looking at them takes me back through things, it's fun. Terry has a few also, such as a candle (she likes candles...says there are two types of candle owners..."burners and dusters"...she's a burner ), ones with pics of her family, ones I've given her that are her fav color (purple), etc.

Outside we put up some of those moving deer and a sleigh with wrapped packages. Again, Terry does most of the work.

Edit: Oh, and we dress up Sofi


Dave

[Mr. White]

Holy Crap!

You did this stuff?

[KR]

Originally Posted by Joe G

Anyone else go all out decorating??


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For me to stick with the current theme you labeled me with ......


BAH HUMBUG!

j/k
that's pretty cool

[Co Pilot]

Originally Posted by MadMax

Holy Crap!

You did this stuff?

Yeah, he did!



Here's ours...

YouTube - Frisco Christmas Lights - Wizards in Winter

[Mr. White]

I didn't see Joe putting that much effort into anything other than dinner like me!

[Co Pilot]

Okay, so I'm not quite that creative.

This is the real thing... Don't laugh. TG runs the extension cords for me. That's his part in all this. He's out working, while I'm decorating, to pay for the extra electric strain $$$ I use during this month.



There's even a wreath on the ol Trooper, that you can barely see. Notice that crank shaft from a tractor trailer that I finally got the Hubby to stop laughing about and installing for me. I've always wanted a post like it. It took me a few years working on the Hubby to get it. Now all I need is the Mini Cooper look alike mailbox since he won't put the Shelby one on it.









Notice the Snoopy and Woodstock Christmas flag hanging from the front of the house. This was actually before that other forum. Funny how we ended up with those avatars for a while over there.







I made these light balls for about three Christmas seasons in a roll. I sold over 100 easy. They were in all the neighborhoods around us at our other home before moving here.





Got to have a little MINI LUV !!! I've got this pic entered on the local Mini forum for the opening page pic for December. Wish me luck! They are still sporting my fall pic for the month of November.

[KR]

Luck! I like it, Nice touch

[Joe G]

Originally Posted by MadMax

Holy Crap!

You did this stuff?

Ya, I WISH!


I actually do have a good friend/co-worker who lives in Dayton, OH who got a friend who works for the automation division of our company to help him do something like this (on a smaller scale) *way* before this stuff got popular.



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[Joe G]

BTW - very nice decorations Co pilot!

Tell me more about those light balls.


Oh, and I see you decorate the Trooper and the Mini... what about Shelby Sr.?? Maybe a big decorated tree stuck to the trunk??



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[rpretzel]

Bah Humbug.

[Joe G]

Originally Posted by rpretzel

Bah Humbug.

None of that here!





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[Orf]

Note to self:

Dave needs a goat ornament.

[SLGT750]

I'll do it but I don't like it! I hate doing something knowing that I'm just making more work for myself later. I did make a promise to my wife that I will be more willing when we have kids.

[rpretzel]

Originally Posted by SLGT750

I'll do it but I don't like it! I hate doing something knowing that I'm just making more work for myself later. I did make a promise to my wife that I will be more willing when we have kids.

Kids?!?! Don't do it! Kids just cut into the Shelby mod budget.

[SLGT750]

Originally Posted by rpretzel

Kids?!?! Don't do it! Kids just cut into the Shelby mod budget.

But then you get to buy more toys and say they were for the kids even though you wanted them for yourself! Have you seen some of the cool toys that are out now?

[Co Pilot]

Originally Posted by SLGT750

But then you get to buy more toys and say they were for the kids even though you wanted them for yourself! Have you seen some of the cool toys that are out now?

Kids make you aware of a love inside yourself that you never knew existed. It makes you realize there's more to life than yourself and your own needs and wants. That's the part that some have a problem with, letting go of themselves.

[rpretzel]

Originally Posted by Co Pilot

Kids make you aware of a love inside yourself that you never knew existed. It makes you realize there's more to life than yourself and your own needs and wants. That's the part that some have a problem with, letting go of themselves.

Yeah, but I love me.

[rpretzel]

Originally Posted by SLGT750

But then you get to buy more toys and say they were for the kids even though you wanted them for yourself! Have you seen some of the cool toys that are out now?

True, but that's what nieces & nephews are for. You can go play with all their cool toys, and then leave whenever you want.

[Co Pilot]

Originally Posted by Joe G

BTW - very nice decorations Co pilot!

Tell me more about those light balls.


Oh, and I see you decorate the Trooper and the Mini... what about Shelby Sr.?? Maybe a big decorated tree stuck to the trunk??



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Thanks!

Everything in the driveway gets a beautiful Christmas wreath attached to the front grill, except the Shelby. Sure as heck wouldn't want to scratch anything in that area. I do decorate his truck monkey with my Christmas beading.

Here's a link on the how-to for the Christmas light balls...

lightball01

The only things I do different is use heavy duty staples, a strand of 300 count (this gives you 3 light per cup) chasing lights (this adds so much more color and programable activity), and I punch a hole in two joining cups to place an S-hook for hanging.

I sold these right out of my yard for $35 each from Thanksgiving until Christmas. TG built me a huge display made from a 10 ft. PVC pipe with rods running through it here and there for various places to hang them from. We mounted it right in the front yard with a For Sale sign. I'd start out in the early evening with about 10-15 light balls. Some nights I stayed up until 2:00 am making more light balls for the following evening. The trick is to purchase all your lights after Christmas for 75% or more off the regular price. My fingers were raw for a while after Christmas from pushing lights through the holes in the cups. Especially since I was pushing more lights through than called for. It was sure worth it though. I love driving through the old neighborhood every Christmas and still seeing my creations hanging around.